Kaufman Broadcast Year in Review: 2015

Every year Kaufman Broadcast plays a part in significant news events and 2015 was no exception. Kaufman Broadcast covered events from historic playoff runs to protests capturing national attention. So, without further adieu, here are the top 10 most memorable event for Kaufman Broadcast in 2015.

10) Rubik’s Cube World Records: Kaufman Broadcast has been around for more than 30 years. In that time, we’ve covered more ground than Google Earth. Still, each year, we find stories unlike any other. In April, our crew along with Discovery Canada interviewed Washington University in St. Louis swimmer Kevin Hays, who set the world record for most Rubik’s cubes solved underwater in one breath. Hays solved eight 3×3 Rubik’s cubes in two minutes and five seconds at the Thurtene Carnival. An 11-time world record holder, Hays also holds the current world record for fastest solving of a 6×6 cube.

9) World Cup Tune Up/Road to Russia: The U.S. women’s and men’s national soccer teams each notched victories at Busch Stadium en route to their respective World Cups. The U.S. women’s team dispatched New Zealand national team 4-0 in April, thanks to three goals in a five minute span in the second half. The attendance was the highest for friendly match ever on U.S. soil as Kaufman uplinked the match for Fox Sports 1. The women’s team would go on win the World Cup in Canada in July.

The U.S. men’s team found comparable success in November during qualification for the 2018 World Cup. The U.S. men defeated St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-1 in November, this time with Kaufman uplinking for ESPN. Forward Jozy Altidore lead the scoring with two goals and one assist in front of the largest soccer crowd in Missouri history.

With 35,817 in attendance for today’s match, this is: The all-time largest crowd for a stand-alone #USWNT friendly match at home.

8) Sanford and Daughter: The Kaufman Broadcast Junior Engineer program added another member this year. Uplink engineer Mike Sanford and his wife, Erin, had their second child, Hope, in July. Hope is the fourth member of the junior engineering program and the second Sanford to join.

7) Kaufman Hires DJ Rockwell: The talent was there. The timing was right. So in September, Kaufman Broadcast added DJ Rockwell. The pride of Lindenwood University, DJ has not missed a beat in his first four months. DJ has covered the Royals winning the World Series, football games in seven states, and even national news stories. May his future be as bright as his thousand watt smile.

6) Road Warriors: Even LeBron James’ otherworldly NBA Finals performance could not stop the Golden State Warriors from cruising to its first title in 40 years. Golden State won 67 games in the regular season, the most ever by an non-Michael Jordan team, and dispatches all four playoff opponents in six games or fewer. In the Finals, Golden State beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2, despite James averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. Kaufman Broadcast provided coverage of the historic run in tandem with Comcast Bay-Area branch during the second round and finals.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a Game 1 victory while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

5) Un-4-Gettable: The NFL season was filled with unforgettable moments: the Dez Bryant non-catch, Aaron Rodgers’ six touchdowns in a half, the nail biting NFC Championship Game. But no moment may be more memorable than the dramatic conclusion of Super Bowl XLIX. Down four points with 26 seconds left, New England cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson in the end zone to seal the win. People’s reactions? Bedlam. Kaufman worked with Comcast to bring fans highlights and analysis of the controversial play call that ensured a fourth Super Bowl victory for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and left Seattle fans tantalizingly close to the repeat championships.

4) Ferguson Fall Out: The unrest in Ferguson, Mo. was our largest story of 2014, and the events continued reverberating into 2015. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice announced findings of unlawful conduct and discrimination in the practices of the Ferguson Police Department. The next day, two police officers were shot outside of the Ferguson police station. The results of the investigation and shooting reinvigorated ongoing national conversation about the relationship between law enforcement officers and African-Americans.

3) Mizzou Protests: Missouri founds itself on the forefront of race-related news in America for a second consecutive year. Following the protests in Ferguson in 2014, University of Missouri students protested racism, leadership and workplace benefits at the university. The protests received ubiquitous national media attention when the football team boycotted its upcoming games and chief protestor, Jonathan Butler, went on a hunger strike. Kaufman uplinked coverage of the protests for CBS News, which culminated in the resignation of university president Tim Wolfe and chancellor Robert Loftin and spurred widespread discussion on race in America.

Protester Jonathan Butler speaks to a crowd following the University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe’s resignation on November 9, 2015 (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson)

2) The Wide World of Sports: Each year, our engineers travel to every corner of the country. In 2015, the Kaufman crew was in full force covering college basketball and football events from California to Massachusetts and Texas to Minnesota. Kaufman Broadcast worked closely with ESPN on a number of occasions to broadcast remotely integrated games, that will carry over into the new year.

1) Royalty: After finishing one win shy last year, the Kansas City Royals found redemption in the World Series, beating the New York Mets in five games in 2015. Kansas City ended its 30 year World Series drought on the backs on great fielding and hitting. The team sent a club record eight players to the All Star Game en route to 95 regular season wins, the most in the American League. During the postseason, Kaufman worked with ESPN and Fox Sports Midwest to cover Kansas City defeating the Houston Astros and Toronto Blues Jays in five and six games respectively, before beating the Mets. More than 800,000 fans flocked to Kansas City for championship parade, an impressive feat considering the city population is only 467,000.